Shocking Levels of Antimicrobial Resistance in Burn Infections in Bestian Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

Studies of microbial species and antimicrobial resistance in burn wound infections are rare in Korea. This study investigated the microbial species and antimicrobial resistance present in 630 patients with burns admitted to Bestian Hospital, a specialized burns clinic in Korea, between 2011 and 2013. Bacterial species were identified using the Vitek system and antimicrobial resistance was assessed using both disk diffusion method and the Vitek 2 system. Acinetobacter baumannii (37.3%) was the most frequently isolated organism in burn wound infections. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, coagulase-negative Staphylococci, Enterococcus faecalis, and Escherichia coli were also isolated. Pandrug-resistant strains were present in 91.8% of A. baumannii samples. They were also carbapenem-resistant. However, no colistin-resistant strains were isolated. Care is needed when administering antibiotics for burn infections as most microbial strains are multidrug-resistant.

Keywords: burn, A. baumannii, pandrug-resistance